This one she knew without asking.Karura. The devourer of dragons. Her stomach sank at the sight of the boogey creature her mother had used to frighten her with when she’d been small.
Keegan ducked her head down, and as funny as it was sad, tried to hide herself beside the much smaller Dash. “What isthatdoing here?”
Dash shrugged. “He’s Naomi’s best friend, Kyran. She’s never gone to battle without him.”
Tanis put her hand on Dash’s arm to steady herself. “I don’t like Kyran. Not at all.”
“Neither do I,” Keegan said quickly.
“It’s all right, dragons. Kyran doesn’t kill indiscriminately. He won’t harm you.”
He said that, but her fear didn’t have ears, and neither did Keegan’s. All of her people had been taught to run from the Karura.
The only good news... no centaur would be able to stand againstthat. It was said that their fire burned hotter than any dragon’s. Hence why they were heralded as the destroyer of dragons.
Dash cupped Tanis’s chin in his palm until she met his gaze. “No harm will come to you. Just breathe, dragon. You’re safe.”
“What about me?” Keegan asked.
“You, too. I promise, Kyran won’t go after you. I had the discussion with Naomi, and she’s sworn to me that all of our troops will be safe from hers.”
While Tanis believed him, it was still hard to get past that terrifying sight of a monster she was brought up fearing.
Tova walked past them and scoffed at their embrace. “Just kiss her for the gods’ sakes, and let’s get on with this ride.”
Tanis laughed at Tova’s surly tone and unexpected comment.
Giving her a smile, Dash kissed her quickly, then turned into a unicorn.
Tanis pulled herself up into the saddle as Halla rushed past them to join Ryper. Dash waited for her to get situated before he headed to the main gate where the others waited on horseback.
Wings sprang out of Ryper’s back so that he could fly beside them in his human body with Halla by his side. Impressive. And it made her wonder if Dash had the same ability to have wings in his human body, too.
Maybe I don’t know all their secrets.
It appeared they had many more than she could even guess at. Not that it mattered. They were heading to war with Keegan right behind her. That was what she needed to focus on.
Her heart pounded as she saw the huge glistening portal that Naomi had created for them. It made a mockery of the smaller elfin portals many used that often appeared as shrines to their gods.
Though she’d seen those portals, she’d never been through one. As a dragon, she was far too large.
This portal, however, was huge enough to accommodate the Karura and Keegan traveling through it side-by-side. Not that she would recommend the two of them trying to do such a thing.
Still...
It appeared as a giant mirror, except that it didn’t reflect. Rather it showed the green, wooded lands on the other side where they were heading.
Licordia.
She turned around to look at their numbers. They were an odd assembly for an army. Elves, oni, demons, yokai, a hobgoblin, a dragon, and a unicorn who held her heart.
She ran her hand through Dash’s silken mane. Leaning over his neck, she whispered her one and only secret in his ear.“Before our battle, beast, there’s something I want you to know... I love you, Deciel Coeur de Noir. And I’m praying for your safety.”
Chapter 23
Dash stumbled as Tanis’s words reached his ears. Had he heard them correctly? Honestly, he wasn’t sure. “What?”
She leaned over his neck again and gave him a fierce hug with her entire body. “I love you, my beast. Should anything happen to either of us today, I wanted you to knowmysecret, as the last thing I want is to die without having told you.”
